Klever Birne

Brimming with ideas

The name ‘Klever Birne’ refers to an ideas competition launched by the city of Kleve in collaboration with the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. The first competition, held in 2023, generated plenty of creative ideas on the topic of sustainability. The jury received more than 20 applications and five winners were honoured

The second round of the ideas competition started in May 2024. The application phase is over. The official award ceremony will take place on September 12, 2024.

Aim of the sustainability award

The project partners City of Kleve and Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences are committed to the topic of sustainability as a form of ecological, social and economic action and announced a sustainability award in Kleve for the first time in 2023. The Klever Birne Sustainability Award is intended to raise awareness of sustainability goals at a global and local level. The aim is to develop new ideas for sustainable measures together with the people of Kleve.

Citizens, private groups, students, educational institutions, public institutions (schools, kindergartens, libraries, etc.), companies, associations, start-ups and institutions can apply. Only former award winners are excluded from participation.

Evaluation criteria

Impact: Your idea makes a contribution to sustainable (social, ecological, economic) development and serves as a role model for others; it should be of great practical benefit in the selected SDG target area.

Feasibility: Your idea can be realistically implemented in everyday life in the city of Kleve. Realistic means that the idea can be implemented from your own resources and/or with the prize money from the ideas competition and the coaching.

Degree of innovation: Your idea is innovative and has not yet been implemented in Kleve.

Prizes

1st prize: €2,000 + coaching + certificate

2nd prize : €1,500 + coaching + certificate

3rd prize : €1,000 + coaching + certificate

Student prize : €1,000 + coaching + certificate

Audience prize: Pear tree + coaching + certificate

A look back: That was the Klever Birne 2023

Winners of the Klever Birne 2023

After receiving the applications and a workshop on pitch and poster preparation, the award ceremony on ‘Make an impact Day’ was on the agenda. Ten selected applicants had the opportunity to present their ideas at a small trade fair and win the jury’s approval. Four ideas received prize money: the mobile climate café, the sustainable market hall in the former Margarine Union, the community garden at SOS-Klapheckenhof and the “Sustainable education in the field” school project at the primary school in Rindern. The Audience Award went to the biogas plant of Futurelab-Engineering U.G.

“All projects are winners for us because they make the region and the city of Kleve a better place to live,” said professor Peter Kisters, Vice President and Professor for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.